Committee recommends letting Middle Point Landfill explore expansion

Jake Burkhalter, a Blackman resident and member with Statewide Organization for Community Empowerment (SOCM), talks about his opposition to the private Middle Point Landfill being able to expand onto an adjacent 288 acres owned by the Rutherford County government.
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SOCM members also held signs saying, "Zero Waste." The group worries about what could happen to the Stones River and the community if the 400-acre Middle Point Landfill can add 288 acres off East Jefferson Pike in the Walter Hill community north of Murfreesboro.

"We're opposed to this expansion and the risk of the contamination of our drinking water supply," said Jake Burkhalter, a SOCM board member who lives in the Blackman community on the west side of Murfreesboro.

The Rutherford County Solid Waste Advisory/Steering Council is working with GBB Solid Waste Management Consultants to find long-term solutions once the existing Middle Point Landfill closes in an estimated eight to 12 years.

The landfill could last an additional 15 years if the county permitted Middle Point's owner, Republic Services, to acquire the 288 acres of adjacent property, according to the consultants.

The overall cost to the county would be $61.629 million.

County may pursue solid waste authority

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Council member Merry Hickerson called for the motion for the County Commission to allow Republic Services, which is a publicly traded corporation based in Phoenix, to explore the possibility of acquiring the county's adjacent property for possible expansion of Middle Point Landfill.

The county's 288 acres includes a closed, unlined landfill and a construction-and-demolition landfill.

GBB President Harvey Gershman referred to his firm's recommended plan as Middle Point 2.0. The plan for the added 15 years will mean the county having to spend about $3 million per year or about $12 more per household without counting fees for services, he said.

Council member Lynnisse Roehrich-Patrick also called for an approved motion asking for the local governments to enter into memorandums of understanding to explore establishing a solid waste authority that would focus only on solid waste.

"I think it could make it more real to us what we’re spending," said Roehrich-Patrick, who resides in the Blackman community.

Fees would range from $100 to $300 depending on level of services

A household choosing to deliver solid waste to a recycling center might pay $100 per year for a service in the future, Gershman said.

No fee is charged to drop off trash or recycling items at this time other than for televisions.

In addition to recommending Middle Point 2.0, Gershman suggested the county pursue longer-term transfer stations where trash and recycling items can be dropped off on the south and north ends of the county before being delivered elsewhere. This would solve what to do once Middle Point Landfill closes, he said.

The transfer station plan would cost $8.3 million or about $34 per household. Doing both the Middle Point 2.0 and transfer stations plan would end up costing somewhere between $34 per household to $12, Gershman said.

Consultants recommend establishing solid waste authority

Gershman also recommended setting up a solid waste authority that would manage trash, recycling and composting operations. An authority by state law also could issue debt to pay for projects, he said.

The authority would take over the solid waste operations of the county and Murfreesboro, and operate like a utility, Gershman said.

An authority could include three members representing the county, three from Murfreesboro, and one each from Smyrna, La Vergne and Eagleville, Gershman suggested.

The county and Murfreesboro governments at this time are able to dump 80 tons of residential trash without a tipping fee.

The county also gets $1.20 per ton of out-of-county waste brought to Middle Point for a total of nearly $900,000 annually.

The combined benefits are worth about $3.9 million per year at this time.